1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to clips for attaching items to clothing.
2. Prior Art
Clips are often used to removably attach items to a person's clothing. However, no prior art clip can removably grip an item and be removably attached to clothing at the same time. E.g., U.S. patent shows a simple spring-loaded clip comprised of two jaws pivoted together and biased closed by a spring. While it is gripping an item, it cannot be attached to clothing, i.e., it can either grip the item or clothing, but not both at the same time. U.S. Pat. No. 4,780,934 to Vickers et al. shows a clip with a single spring-loaded jaw pivoted to a mounting plate, which is permanently attached to an item, e.g., a beeper. The item is inseparable from the clip, so that the clip must also be detached from the clothing to detach the item. U.S. Pat. No. 5,385,282 to Chen shows a beeper holder comprised of a spring-loaded jaw pivoted to a mounting plate, which is in turn pivoted to a beeper bracket. The mounting plate is not spring-loaded. Removing the pager also requires the removal of the clip.
Further, all prior art clips include jaws which define different angles when opened to different widths. They generally converge when gripping a thin item. The gripping force is concentrated along the tips of the jaws, which may produce a disfiguring mark on a soft item. The jaws diverge when gripping a very thick item, so that the item would tend to slip out.